String of suspicious fires continues to worry residents

John Reynolds

Monday

Mar 24, 2008 at 12:01 AMMar 24, 2008 at 12:45 PM

When vacant buildings here started falling victim to suspicious fires a few years ago, April Irving wondered if the house across the street from her would be next. Her speculation ended June 8, 2007, when the vacant house was heavily damaged by a suspected arson fire. At the time, it was latest in a string of suspicious fires that started around 2006.

When vacant buildings here started falling victim to suspicious fires a few years ago, April Irving wondered if the house across the street from her would be next.

Her speculation ended June 8, 2007, when the vacant house was heavily damaged by a suspected arson fire. At the time, it was latest in a string of suspicious fires that started around 2006.

“The fires definitely concern me,” Irving said. “It wasn’t so much that that I was worried they were going to burn a house with people in it. I was more about who was going around and doing this.

“Why would they go around and randomly set these houses on fire? It’s kind of strange.”

Authorities in Jacksonville say that during the past two years or so about 10 vacant structures and several Dumpsters have been set on fire. The latest occurred March 11 and March 12, when five Dumpsters and an abandoned apartment building on East Douglas Street were set on fire.

Lt. Tim Shea, public information officer for the Jacksonville Police Department, said authorities believe the fires are linked.

“Several of the house fires were similar in nature, and a lot of the Dumpster fires were similar, so, hopefully, it’s just the work of one or two people at the most,” Shea said.

Most of the fires have been in the central and eastern sections of the city, where there are a number of vacant houses.

The most recent fire, for instance, occurred in an apartment building that previously was damaged by a smaller fire.

Jennifer Patty lives across the street from the apartment building. She saw teenagers going in and out of the building before the most recent fire.

“It was just sitting there with the doors open and everything, just inviting trouble. It scared me because I have four children,” Patty said.

Yellow tape surrounds the burned-out building now, but Patty said children still go in and out of the building.

Patty said many of the buildings that have burned looked like they needed some work.

“I don’t know. I thought that maybe someone is setting the fires deliberately to push along the need to redo Jacksonville,” Patty said.

No residents have been injured in the fires. Jacksonville Fire Chief Rick Kluge said a few firefighters suffered smoke inhalation battling the blazes, and at least one firefighter sustained a shoulder injury.

In most instances, firefighters have determined fairly quickly that the burning buildings were vacant, Kluge said.

“You can kind of tell when you look. There are no utilities such as gas or electric hooked up. That’s a good clue,” Kluge said. “When you go inside, you find that there isn’t any furniture.”

Not all of the recent suspicious fires in Jacksonville appear to be linked.

On March 14, there was a suspected arson at the Crisis Center in Jacksonville, which houses a women and children’s center. Police said someone piled trash next to the crisis center and set the refuse on fire. An employee noticed the blaze and called authorities.

The fire damaged some of the siding, but no one was injured. There were four children inside the building when the fire occurred.

“It doesn’t look like the fire at the Crisis Center is connected to the other fires. It doesn’t have the same pattern,” Shea said.

Authorities also don’t think a November fire at Jacksonville Packaging Industries was connected to the series of unexplained fires.

The packaging facility fire destroyed the building, causing about $1 million in damage. The Illinois State Fire Marshal’s office is investigating the blaze as an apparent arson.

Jacksonville police also are investigating the fires at vacant buildings and hope they can catch the person or people setting the fires before someone gets hurt.

“Hopefully, we’ll put an end to this nonsense before too long,” Shea said.

John Reynolds can be reached at (217) 788-1524.

Pattern involves vacant buildings

Here is a list of recent fires at unoccupied homes and buildings in Jacksonville:

-- March 12: vacant apartment building at 336 E. Douglas St.

-- Jan. 15: metal building at 1125 W. Walnut St. that was used for storage

-- June 8, 2007: unoccupied house at 828 E. Lafayette St.

-- May 5, 2007: unoccupied house at 517 Sherman St.

-- March 15, 2007: unoccupied home at 917 N. Diamond St.

-- March 10, 2007: unoccupied house at 610 W. State St.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.